Standard Disclaimer: Sailor Moon does not belong to me.  It belongs
to Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha, Toei Ltd., and tons of other people.
Thank you very much for creating such a wonderful story and please
don't sue me.  ^_^;;;  However . . . the events of this story and
some of these characters are MY property.  No stealing!

Lo siento, mis amigos!  *Especially* to Jade-san!  (Now, now, I
*finally* got it out as promised, didn't I?)  All this has done is
served to remind me why I'm taking a break from this in the FIRST 
place.  NO TIME to write!  Expect me to be back with something 
(hopefully every week) by mid-June, and until then you'll have to 
settle for erratic posts.

BTW, don't worry I didn't do anything cheesy with Sailor Earth!  
Hopefully, I'm the first one to try this . . .

IMPORTANT:

Now, here's something that I'd like to bring to everyone's attention.  
It's the subject of plagiarism.  People who plagiarize *can* be sued 
for doing so.  That's something that you should keep in mind.  
Plagiarizing the work of others is an unutterably wrong!  Recently a 
"so-called" writer of fanfic, "Anya," ripped off a fanfic from 
Jennifer A. Wand, changing the character names and leaving the rest 
of the 'fic intact.  She then proceeded to send it into various 
archives under a new title as her OWN WORK!!!  Ms. Wand has been 
trying to prove the validity of her claim that she was the original 
writer of the fanfic, using proof and testimony.  Unfortunately, she 
has given that up and pulled her fanfic from the archives.  This is 
all due to the selfish actions of one unscrupulous individual who 
happens to be getting away SCOT-FREE!  :(  If you are a fan and want 
to support the fanfic writing community, or if you are a writer 
yourself, then you should feel OUTRAGED at this entire situation.

What bugs me is that someone would just TAKE ADVANTAGE of an honest, 
hard-working individual like that!  Writing takes a great deal of 
work and effort, and STEALING is not only CHEATING, but STUPID as 
well.  If you want to write, then WRITE.  If you have trouble, you 
can always ask for advice from other authors.  Most of us are more 
than willing to give you some advice.

Now, I admit that I am NOT the most original person in the world . . 
. but I try.  And I APOLOGIZE if ANY part of my work seems like 
someone else's that I've read.  It's NEVER on purpose . . . but this 
. . . this . . . this . . . "Anya" person copied someone's 'fic WORD 
FOR WORD!  Ooooh!!!  :(  Having a similar IDEA is all right, it 
happens EVERY DAY, but the writing is what distinguishes one person 
from another.  I plan to make writing my career and STEALING 
*anything,* any part of any person's hard work . . . is just plain 
wrong.

Please support your favorite (or fellow) fanfic writers and don't 
tolerate plagiarism!  After all, if you do . . . then we might all 
stop writing all together . . . .

That NEEDED to be said.  Domo arigato gozaimasu, minna.  Onto the 
'fic:

In a time of peace  . . .

In a time of war . . .

Two kingdoms lived side by side . . .

Two hearts cried out for one another . . .

And thus was a legend born.

SAILOR MOON
IN ANOTHER LIFE:
THE LEGEND'S BEGINNING

by Fushigi Kismet

   Warm arms wrapped around her . . . holding her close . . . the 
quick, loud, thudding of their hearts . . . two dark blue eyes 
looking down and meeting hers . . . his voice, soft and husky as her 
said her name, "Serena . . ."
   There he was, every thought and crush and daydream-fantasy that 
she had ever had all rolled into one . . . Mamo Darien.  And she 
didn't love him.  Well, saying "at all" would be going too far.  She 
did - but as a friend.  It hurt, the knowledge that this image of 
him, the feelings she had for him, were but a schoolgirl crush, an 
unrealized first love, and even in her dream, she said the words, 
falling hard and cold on her own ears, "I don't love you."
   The same flash of hurt appeared in his eyes, as though she had 
just rejected the heart that he had held out with open arms -  but 
that was ridiculous.  Darien thought of her as nothing more than a 
silly, stupid, klutzy schoolgirl.  And still . . .
   Serena crushed the thought swiftly.  <>  She turned back to Darien and regarded him 
calmly.  "I don't love you."  He vanished, fading away as though he 
had never been, leaving Serena alone, her heart aching, the empty 
void within her gnawing away at her insides.
   Without realizing it, she had begun crying.  She reached up at 
hand to brush away the tears, but they shimmered on her hand, sliding 
down her arm, glistening like diamonds and she stared at them, 
entranced . . .
   A sound distracted her and she looked up, only to see herself 
surrounded by a wall of mirrors each reflecting her image.  Each of 
them spoke as she looked on.
   "I don't love you."
   "I don't love you."
   "I don't love you . . ."
   And on and on until she fell to her knees, her hands covering her 
ears to block out the terrible sound of her own condemning voice.  
The glass in each mirror cracked, one after another, shattering her 
image, the shards falling to the ground in a tinkle of broken glass.  
As they hit the ground, they turned into tears which flowed together 
into a sea until she felt like she was drowning.  Her image in the 
water looked distorted, until it formed into another face, one with 
long red hair and a malicious expression.  "You gave him up . . . Now 
he is MINE for eternity!!!!"
   "No!" she shouted, trying to keep her head above the water that 
threatened to drown her, the woman laughing at her, the confusion all 
around her.  Her waterlogged clothes dragged down at her and dimly, 
she realized that she was dressed in something white . . . white and 
flowing . . . soft and silky . . .  Darien's voice echoed in her ears 
. . .  "Serena . . . sayonara.  Sayonara forever . . ."
   "NOOOO!!!!" she cried, sobbing now, unable to stop, knowing that 
she was only hastening her own death by causing the water to rise 
faster.  The tears sliding down her arm still shone and glowed, 
forming a bracelet of clear gems that looked like diamonds, which 
turned into white . . . oddly luminescent pearls.  They flared with 
light and she rose above the water, only to see that for miles, there 
was nothing but water stretching out to the horizon in all 
directions.  Endless water . . . endless tears.  And she was *still* 
crying . . .
   The woman rose up form the water as well and began to throttle 
Serena.  Serena struggled, trying to pry the woman's fingers away 
from her throat to no avail.  In a choked voice she pleaded, "Help!  
Sailor Senshi . . . Tuxedo Kamen . . . Help . . ."  She closed her 
eyes and pleaded, <>
   The woman sneered.  "No one will help you now.  They are all mine, 
bound to my greater power.  Now, give it to me!  GIVE ME WHAT I
WANT!!!"
   "And what's that?"  Serena asked, still struggling with the woman, 
her eyes shut against the tears that refused to stop flowing.  Her 
voice was breathless, hardly audible as she said, "You've got Darien 
. . ."  Her heart twisted painfully into knots.  <>
   "I want your soul!" she cackled.  "Give it to me.  I want your 
body, your pure essence, your INNOCENCE.  He will love me like that.  
Pure and innocent, in your form . . .  A body untouched by any man, 
reserved for him alone to claim . . . a girl in the first blush of 
womanhood . . .  He will love me like that!"
   "Never!" Serena screamed, her eyes snapping open to gaze into the 
woman's own in blue fury.    "Darien's got better taste.  
He'd never love someone like *you*.  And why would he love me?  I'm 
nothing to him . . . nothing at all . . ."
   "No!"  The woman's eyes narrowed and she tightened her grip.  "You 
are everything!  Everything!  His heart and soul are bound up in 
*you*!!!"
   Serena felt herself slipping, her fingers losing their strength.  
Darkness gathered at the edges of her sight.  In a weak voice she 
murmured, "Everything?  Why . . .?  Does that mean . . . he loves me?  
But I said . . . I know . . . I don't love him . . ."
   "Then he is mine," the woman whispered triumphantly.
   "No . . . Darien . . . what fate have I thrown you into?  What 
Hell looms before you because of me?  Have I left you to float upon 
an endless sea of tears alone . . . ?  Gomen, Darien . . . Gomen . . 
."  Her eyes closed and her arms fell to her side.
   "Finally!" the woman cried, gathering dark energy in her hand, 
ready to wreak some terrible evil on the young girl before her.  The 
power pulsed darkly.
   "Stop!" a male voice shouted.  The ocean abruptly disappeared, to 
be replaced by a shining tiled floor of some reflective silver 
substance.  Both of them stood upon it.
   The woman turned, a scowl crossing her features.  "What do *YOU* 
want?!"
   "No harm will come to her in my realm!" he declared.
   "Go away, little Prince!" the woman said dismissively, flicking 
her hand towards him and sending a ball of dark energy straight 
towards him, unrolling into a wave as it went.
   He casually raised his left hand and a gold translucent energy 
shield formed around him, blocking the blast which flared about him 
in a wash of power, sluicing off of the shield like water.  The force 
wind from the power barely even ruffled his hair.  His eyes looked 
calmly out at her as the shield vanished upon his hand dropping.  
"*My* realm, remember?"  He raised his right hand and a misty silver 
light formed, surrounding her.  "Begone, Demoness."
   She vanished with a curse.
   The Prince smiled faintly, looking towards Serena, where she had 
fallen gently to the yielding silver surface of the floor which 
reflected her image nearly blindingly.  Her unbound hair spilled 
about her, glowing golden against the silver.  Her face was soft and 
innocent in sleep and yet, it was troubled.  Her lips moved to form a 
silent word that the Prince read with a smile.  "Rest easy, Princess.  
Rest easy.  Here, nothing can touch you.  The Land of Dreams is 
mine."
   Serena's form seemed to shimmer for an instant, another image 
overlaying hers.  It was nearly the same, but the hair that tumbled 
about her sleeping form was not golden but the color of the soft pink 
roses at sunset and there was something . . . different about her.  
The Prince drew a breath, his eyes softening slightly as he stared at 
the beautiful vision of the other dreaming princess.  "Endymion," he 
murmured, "you have your princess, but I . . . have mine."
   The image vanished, leaving the sleeping princess in its wake.  
The Prince stepped forward, his steps light on the shining floor, the 
tiles singing gently beneath his feet at each step he took.  He 
placed a cool hand to Serena's forehead, where a golden crescent moon 
shone.  His fingers traced it for a moment.  
   "I, 'Elios, have always and will always serve my Prince, 
Endymion."
   He pulled his hand away and abruptly the sigil vanished and her 
gown faded back into her ordinary clothes.  Serena lay unmoving on 
the ground.
   "Wake," he whispered, grey eyes staring out of the ten year old 
face.  A face not old enough to belong to a man, but old enough to 
belong to a child.  A child with pure, innocent dreams.  "Wake . . ."

   Serena's eyes snapped open, her cheek cushioned on her pillow, and 
she stared out her window at the crescent moon shining silver in the 
night.  Her dream was a jumble of half-remembered images.  Images of 
terror and despair.  The only thing that she could remember with any 
clarity were Darien's words, words that he had spoken to her the 
other day.  'Serena . . . sayonara.  Sayonara forever . . .'
   "Darien . . ." she whispered to herself, tears glittering like 
silver stars on her dark eyelashes.  

   Two brown eyes opened in the darkness, staring at the alarm that 
read 6:00 AM in bright red letters.  The woman sat up, her long hair 
flowing behind her in a wave.  She ran one long-nailed hand through 
it, ripping through snarls and tangles.  She got up out of bed, her 
blanket falling to the ground as she walked over to her long full 
length mirror and admired herself for an instant.  After five minutes 
of doing that, she went into the bathroom and scrubbed her sharp 
teeth spotlessly white and washed her face.  Leaving the bathroom, 
she pulled off her nightgown and changed into a rather revealing 
white silk blouse and a short black skirt.  She brushed out her long 
hair, still in the dark, then pulled out a tube of dark red lipstick 
and applied it to her lips.  After applying more make-up and brushing 
her hair out, she picked up her black carrying case, and her car keys 
from off of the top of her dresser.  She slipped into a pair of black 
high heels, and after smiling smugly at her reflection in the mirror, 
she opened the door and left.

Betrayal: Sailor Earth
aka
The Taste of Blood

   "I can't thank you enough for your help.  I couldn't have gotten 
all of the paperwork done and sold this place without it."  He 
laughed, stretching his arms behind him and crossing his arms behind 
his head.  He gazed up at the huge, dark, sprawling estate and 
grinned.  
   His friend flashed a quick smile, green eyes smug and satisfied.  
"Don't worry about it."    "I've missed your company after all.  You never write!"  The 
last was said jokingly.
   "Do you think that you could read my handwriting?" the first man 
deadpanned, looking seriously at his friend.
   The blonde sighed, reaching out and placing a hand on his friend's 
shoulder.  In a weary, long suffering voice, he intoned, "I've seen 
it . . ."  Abruptly the tone changed to one of good humor, as he 
smacked the taller man hard on the back.  ". . . The GOOD one on the 
papers.  When did you learn to write?!"
   The man with the silvery white hair laughed.  "I could always 
write well . . . just never with you.  I didn't want to make you feel 
bad with that chicken scratch of yours."
   "Why you-!"  Green eyes glared.
   "Now, now, don't get mad.  Your writing's improved too.  What 
happened?"
   "Ummm . . ."  He mumbled something.
   "What?"
   "I SAID, it got so bad that my parents sent me to a school so I 
could fix it."  His friend deteriorated into a fit of laughter and he 
glared.  "It's not funny!"
   "Yes, it is!"
   "No, it isn't.  Now, if I don't pay attention, I write with all of 
these damn curlicues . . ."
   More laughter.  Fed up, the man hit his friend again.  Hard.
   He hit him back.
   Chaos and a good-natured scuffle ensued.
   Well . . .
   Pluto turned away from where she had been observing the scene, her 
head bent with a large sweatdrop.  She massaged her temples, and 
sighed.    Raising the staff, she summoned a portal and stepped through . . 
.  

   Ann and Ailan sat slumped against the Tree, conserving their 
energy.  Fiore lounged in a corner of the room, fingering his Flower.  

   <> the Flower murmured soothingly.  <>
   <> Fiore snarled back, his fist clenched.  
Slowly, he loosened the tense muscles in his body and caressed the 
Flower.  <>
   <>
   <>

   Serena walked dejectedly back from school.  She stared at her math 
test.    
She sighed.
   The test paper crumpled in her hand.  "WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME, 
MAMO DARIEN?!  You make everything so complicated!  You go out of 
your way to annoy and infuriate me.  It's not fair!"  She quieted 
down.  "And now . . . now, when I want you to be here . . . you 
aren't."
   She smoothed out the paper, gazing at it sadly, as she headed - 
not to a tutoring session -  but home.  
   If Serena had just turned around at that instant, she would have 
seen Darien walking down the street that intersected the one that she 
was presently walking along.  He had his hands in his pockets, his 
gaze on the ground, and his heart dragged along at the same height as 
his shoes.  He was depressed.  *Really* depressed . . . and had been 
ever since he had told Serena . . . that he wouldn't tutor her any 
longer.

   At their last lesson he had not been able to meet her eyes any 
longer and had said in a flat, monotone voice, "Serena . . . I can't 
be your tutor anymore.  I'm . . . too busy.  Gomen."
   She had protested, her eyes betraying her hurt feelings, but in 
the end he had stuck with his decision.  His last words to her had 
been hard ones for him to *think*, much less utter.  "Serena . . . 
sayonara.  Sayonara forever . . ."

Late afternoon, the next day . . .
(Sunday)

   "SURPRISE!" everyone shouted as the lights went on and confetti 
streamed everywhere.
   The tall, brown-haired man stumbled back, then rounded on his 
imouto, his eyebrow raised.  "Your idea?"
   Molly looked up at him, wringing her hands nervously.  She 
answered in a quiet voice, "Yeah.  It's a . . . welcome home party.  
Do you like it?"
   "LIKE it?  I *LOVE* it!  No one's thrown me a surprise party 
before!"  He engulfed her in a bear hug, then swung her around.  
Molly laughingly protested as he picked her up and slung her over the 
shoulder, pounding ineffectually at him and yelling for him to put 
her down.  "So," he said, his brown eyes laughing, "where's my cake?"
   Lita was looking at him with a dreamy-eyed expression.  "He looks 
like . . ."
   "Your sempai?" Serena suggested, having spent enough time with the 
girl over the past week to know that *every* cute guy she met 
reminded her of her sempai.
   "No . . ." Lita mumbled, her expression still distant.  "He looks 
like . . . a Grecian god . . ."
   "Er . . . Lita, don't you think that the Greeks will find that the 
least bit blasphemous," Serena asked her, looking at Molly's Onii-
chan.  "I mean, sure he's cute . . . all right, *gorgeous,* but a 
god?"  She turned to look at her friend who was staring at him 
completely lost to the world.  Serena tapped her on the shoulder.  
"Uh, hello?  Lita?"  She began to wildly wave her arms in front of 
Lita's face to no effect.  "Earth to Lita!  Come in, Lita!  You're 
about to crash into the atmosphere and burn into about a billion tiny 
particles!!!"
   "Sorry, Central . . . I think it's too late . . . I'm already 
hot," Lita responded, still not looking at Serena, her mind 
elsewhere.
   Serena sighed and took another sip of punch.  
   Raye wandered over.  "Hey, you guys seen Darien anywhere?"
   "No," Serena perked up a little.  "Why would he be here?  This is 
*Molly's* party."  
   "Well, I called up his apartment and to tell him about the party, 
but he wasn't home and I had to leave a message.  I figured that 
Molly's Onii-san was about his age and Molly *did* say the other day 
that he was going to attend Moto Azabu High.  That's where Darien 
goes."
   "Andrew too," Serena said, thoughtfully.  "Y'know, Molly invited 
him, but he and Rita had a six month anniversary or something so they 
couldn't come."
   "That's too bad.  I guess Darien probably had something to do too.  
Did he mention anything to you?"  Raye looked to Serena.
   "Umm . . . I haven't really seen him lately."
   "Come again?  I thought he was your tutor."
   "He . . . canceled the last couple of sessions.  I think he was 
too busy," Serena finished lamely.  
     Raye narrowed her eyes in sudden suspicion.  "The 
two of you didn't have a fight, did you?!"
   "What?!  NO!" Serena responded, startled.  
   "Serena, look at me," Raye commanded, leaning over the other side 
of Lita to get a good look at Serena.
   Serena obeyed reluctantly, her eyes meeting Raye's.  "Yes?"
   "You're sure nothing's wrong?"
   Serena swallowed the lump in her suddenly painfully dry throat.  
"I'm sure."
   "Okay then."  Raye pulled back, still carefully holding her punch.  
She then noticed Lita.  "What's with her?"
   Serena rolled her eyes.  "Long story.  I'm sure she'll tell you 
*all* about it."
   "Ahhh . . ." Lita sighed, starry-eyed.
   Amy walked over, reading a book.
   "Amy, put that down!" Serena snapped, snatching the book away.  
She gestured at their surroundings.  "This is a *party* not a 
library!  You've got to learn to enjoy yourself."
   Amy's eyes flickered away from Serena and the book to the festive 
surroundings and the gaggle of girls and boys from school.  Her gaze 
turned downcast.  "I don't really think that I can have any fun 
today," she whispered.
   "Amy-chan, what's the matter?" Serena asked, immediately 
concerned.
   The blue-haired girl looked up, quickly to reassure her friend.  
"Nothing!  I just . . . don't feel like socializing."
   "Well . . . all right," Serena said, confused.  No socializing?
   "I think I'll go take a quick walk!" Amy announced brightly.
   "Hmmm . . ."  Raye narrowed her eyes, seeing through the facade 
instantly.
   "Really . . . I just want to take a look around Molly's 
neighborhood."
   "Well, okay, then," Serena conceded.  "But remember," she quickly 
added, "I've got your book!  You'd better come back soon."
   Amy smiled.  "No worries, Serena-chan.  I shall return in due 
time."
   "Hmmm . . ." Raye said again.  Amy looked at her, irritation 
flashing through her eyes.  Raye quickly looked away, pretending to
study the layout of the room.
   Lita ignored them all.

   Serena and Raye watched as Amy left the room with a little wave.
   "Raye-chan, what's the matter with Amy?" Serena demanded.
   "She's a lonely girl," Raye replied thoughtfully.  She looked at 
the occupants of the room.  "I gather that the majority of these 
people haven't exactly been *friendly* to her in school, have they?"
   Serena's eyes scanned the room.  "Actually . . . no."
   "Well, there's your answer.  She feels ostracized and out of 
place."
   "Raye-chan!"
   "What?"
   "You've been spending too much time studying with Amy!"
   "Whatever do you mean?  The time that I spend improving my mind 
with Amy is not limited to quantity but quality as well."
   "Raye!"
   Raye blinked.  "Wow, that was weird.  I didn't feel like myself 
for an instant."
   Serena crossed her arms.  "Don't do that again.  It's *scary*!  I 
think Amy's brainwashing everyone so that we'll all study . . . Ick!"
   Raye sweatdropped.
   Lita hummed a little tune and continued to stare at the object of 
her affections.
   Serena groaned, grabbed Lita's arm and said, "Lita, do you want to 
meet him or not?"
   Lita seemed to come out of the haze that she was in.  "Huh?  
What?"
   "Do you want to meet him or not?"
   "Of course!"
   "Well, you're not going to do it by standing there."  Serena 
dragged the protesting Senshi ("What'll I say?"-Lita)  ("I don't 
care.  Say that you're madly in love him."-Serena) ("WHAT?!"-Lita)  
("I was *kidding*!"-Serena)  ("Shut UP, both of you!"-Raye)  ("Raye-
chan, you're so MEEEAAANNNN!!!"-Serena)  ("Aaaarrrrggggghhhhhh!"-
Raye)  ("But, Serena-"-Lita.)  ("Quiet!  Let me do the talking."-
Serena.) after her with Raye trailing along behind.
   She thrust Lita in front of her and right before Molly and her 
Onii-chan.
   "Oh, Serena!" Molly squealed.  She turned to her Onii-chan.  
"November, this is Serena, my best friend in the whole world!  
Serena, November."
   "Hi!" Serena waved.
   "Nice to meet you, Serena-san," November said steadily.
   "That's Raye," Molly continued.
   "Konnichi wa."  Raye smiled.
   "Konnichi wa."  November smiled back.
   "And . . . this is Lita."
   November turned to face Lita and their eyes locked.  "A pleasure, 
Lita-san," he murmured, meaning *every* word.
   "Same here . . . November-san . . ." Lita murmured her gaze dreamy 
as she stared at him.
   November looked back at her with interest.  
   "Onii-chan!" Molly yelled, startling him.
   "Huh?"  He turned.
   "Mom wants to talk to you for a minute."  Molly glared at him.
   "Oh, all right," he responded sheepishly.  "Gomen, Lita-san."
   "It's all right . . ." Lita smiled sweetly up at him and he felt 
himself begin to blush at her expression.
     He hurried off.
   When he was gone, Molly turned a speculative look on Lita.    She smiled to herself.  If there 
was *anything* that Molly liked as much as actually *having* a 
boyfriend, it was fixing her friends up together and Nev and Lita 
were a *perfect* couple . . .

   Amy walked down the road, glancing about with forced interest at 
the houses and their little yards.  Tokyo was NOT known for the 
amount of free space it possessed.  These houses were lucky to even 
HAVE yards.
   Her eyes lit upon a lone figure leaning against a tree and reading 
a book.  Without knowing why, she walked forward.   she told herself.  As she neared him, she noted 
the long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, two short curly locks 
falling around his face and being irritatedly pushed back, 
continually.  She couldn't see much of his face since he was looking 
down, into his book, but he seemed to have a nice profile.  His body 
was strong, lithe, and fit, and the tight jeans and white T-shirt he 
wore clung to his wiry frame.
   Suddenly, he looked up, a light breeze blowing past them, and 
playing with his hair and hers.  Two brilliant green eyes set in a 
finely featured face stared up at her and Amy could see herself 
reflected in his eyes.

    was the first coherent thought that ran through his 
head.  It was followed by more thoughts along the lines of, 
   "Hello," he said in English, seeming to get his voice back.
   "Hello," she replied, and he added "nice voice" to the list of 
attributes currently running through his head.
   "I'm Zephyr," he said, then nearly flushed in embarrassment as he 
realized that he was speaking English in *Japan*.
   The girl smiled.  "Konnichi wa, Zephyr-san."
   "Do you . . . speak English?" he asked in cautious Japanese.  He 
was rusty after so many years of not speaking it.
   "Only a little," she admitted in *much* more fluent English than 
his Japanese.  "And you?"
   He decided to switch to Japanese.  Obviously, she could speak some 
of the language, but it would probably be better if he practiced his 
language skills anyway. "I *used* to be fluent in Japanese . . . in 
fact, I grew up here.  Still, it's been ten years."
   "Ten?" she seemed startled.  "That's a long time."
   "Yeah.  Yeah, it is . . . uh-?"
   She blushed.  "Mizuno-Anderson Amy."
   ""Anderson" and "Amy"?  Those aren't very Japanese names."
   "My father is an American.  He and my mother are . . . divorced."
   "Gomen nasai," he said, reflexively, old habits coming back to 
him.  "I shouldn't have brought up such a painful subject."
   "You didn't know," she laughed.  "Tell me, what book are you 
reading?"
   "Huh?"
   "That's why I came over . . . to see what you were reading."
   "Not too flattering," Zephyr observed.  He held up the book so she 
could see the (English) title.
   "Dreams and Their Meanings," she read slowly.  She looked up.  
"Does that type of thing interest you?"
   "You could say that.  You?"
   "Everything interests me," she said softly.  "Knowledge is the 
most important thing there is."
   "Knowledge?  Are you a philosopher?" he teased.
   "Maybe . . . but I'd rather be a doctor."  Blue eyes filled with 
merriment looked back at him.
   "Well, doctor," Zephyr said, "I'll have to disagree with you about 
knowledge being the most important thing.  In my experience, love is 
more important."
   "And have you a lot of experience?" she queried, blue eyes gently 
teasing.
   Looking at her, he couldn't resist leaning forward and planting a 
quick kiss on her lips.  "No," he murmured, pulling away, a wave of 
longing washing over him for this girl, who he didn't even know.
   Amy looked back at him with shocked eyes.  "I . . . have to go."  
She turned and began walking off.  She looked over her shoulder back 
at him, "I don't know who you are, but . . . I hope I see you again.  
Just . . . not now."
   Zephyr smiled and called, "Oh, we'll be seeing more of one 
another.  Do you want to give me your number?"
   "No!" Amy shouted back.  "You . . . could be a serial killer!"
   "True, but I doubt it.  Don't worry, I'll find you again, Mizuno-
Anderson Amy.  Don't worry about that."
   "And why shouldn't I?"  She stopped and planted her hands on her 
hips.  "I'm scared now!  You could be dangerous!"
   Zephyr ran forward and placed his hands on her shoulders.  "Oh, I 
AM dangerous, but I wouldn't do anything to hurt you.  Not for the 
world."
   Amy gazed up at him.  "I don't know why I trust you . . . but I 
do."
   "Must be my charming personality."  Zephyr grinned.
   "Or your enormous ego!"  She glared at him.
   "Touchˇ."  He bent and kissed her again, this time more fully.  
Much to his surprise, she kissed him back.  Pulling away he looked 
appraisingly at her.
   "I *really* shouldn't trust you. But somehow, I can't *not* trust 
you . . ."
   "Your heart is safe with me, fair lady."
   "Hmmph."
   "Zephyr, sorry to keep you waiting!  The car's fixed now!" a man 
shouted.
   He turned to look behind him.  "Kenneth!  Hey!"  He turned back to 
Amy, but she was gone.   he wondered.

   Jed walked past a house where a party was obviously going on.  He 
stopped as he glimpsed a girl with long, dark hair through the 
window.  His senses tingled, but he shook his head and moved on.  


   Raye glanced out the window and felt her heart catch in her throat 
as she glimpsed a familiar tall form and blonde hair walking away.  
  
Her glass slipped from nerveless fingers and fell to the ground, 
shattering.
   Molly looked over, concerned.  "Raye-san, are you all right?"
   "I-I . . ." Raye bent down and began picking up bits of broken 
glass.  "I'm fine."
   "Uh-huh," Molly said, not believing a word as she too crouched 
down and picked up some pieces.
   "I'm sorry about the glass and the mess," Raye said lamely.
   "It's all right.  Don't worry about it.  Listen, Raye . . . are 
you sure that you're all right?"
   Molly and Raye's eyes met and Raye turned away.  "No."
   "Do you want to lie down?"
   "I'd better go home, Molly-san."  Raye stood as they picked up the 
last of the glass.
   "Are you sure?" Molly asked.
   "Yeah.  I'm *really* sorry about all this, Molly-san."
   "It's okay.  I hope you can fix whatever's bothering you."
   "Arigato."

   Fiore snapped his fingers, glancing over at Ailan.  "She's not 
doing too well."
   "I can see that," Ailan growled back, sullenly.
   "She won't be around for long . . ."
   "Don't say things like that!"
   "Face facts: Lady Ann is dying and there is *nothing* that you can 
do about it.  You're going to have to move on."
   "Like you?!" Ailan snarled viciously.
   "Exactly like me."  Fiore's eyes met Ailan's own with no malice.  
"It's one way to get on with your life when you don't feel like 
living.  Just take it day by day . . ."
   "Why are you so concerned, all of a sudden?!" Ailan crossed his 
arms and glared.
   "I worry," Fiore said smoothly.  "As far as we know, we're the 
only ones left of our race . . .  Soon, it'll be just you and me."
   "Don't count Ann out just yet.  The Tree-"
   Anger filled his voice.  "The Tree is killing her.  Don't deny it.  
If she wasn't so tightly bound to the damn thing, she'd be better 
off.  It wouldn't have taken her."
   Dimly, Ailan realized that he was no longer speaking of Ann.  A 
flash of pain ran through him as he began to speak, his words 
seemingly trapped in his throat.  "It wanted *her*.  She was special, 
Fiore.  That's why she was chosen."
   "To die?!" Fiore screamed.  "If she's not dead by now, she's as 
good as dead!  I loved her.  You said you loved her.  Did you really 
ever love her like I did?!  And now . . . now *your* love is dying 
and what can you do?  Nothing.  Just like me . . ."  His eyes focused 
on Ailan's, his eyes wild and pain-filled as he whispered, "Just like 
me."  He vanished.
   Ailan slammed his hand into the wall.  

   'Ail, Ail . . . promise you won't leave me!' the childish voice 
rang out.
   'I won't leave you.'
   '*Promise*.'
   'I promise.  I won't leave you, Ann . . . not now, not ever."

   Slightly older versions of the two of them ran together, holding 
hands, explosions erupting all around them.
   The little Ann ran, her breath labored as she panted, 'Never 
leave me, Ail . . .  Promise you won't.  Promise.'
   'Never, Ann.  I'll never leave you.  That I swear as one of the 
Fifth.  Now, come.  We haven't much time . . .'

   

The next day . . .

   Jed craned his neck and read the brass plaque over the high door.  
"Moto Azabu High School, attendance offices.  Looks like I've come to 
the right place."

   Kenneth and Zephyr pulled up in front of the school in Kenneth's 
car.
   "Are you sure about this?" Kenneth asked his friend.
   "I'm *NOT* going back home," Zephyr replied determinedly, climbing 
out of the convertible.
   Kenneth sighed, checked his watch, and tossed his friend his sport 
bag which carried all of his books.  "Arigato," Zephyr said.
   "Look," Kenneth said, "I'm gonna go park the car now.  Hopefully, 
I'll find a parking space.  You haul your butt over to the attendance 
offices and take care of the paperwork."
   "And yours?" Zephyr asked seriously.
   "I said *the* paperwork, didn't I?  Not *your* paperwork.  I guess 
I'll transfer here too.  After all, the apartment's nearby so that 
ties up all of the loose ends, doesn't it?"
   "Not all of them."
   "Shut up."  He glanced at his watch again.  "And hurry!  Classes 
start in ten minutes!"
   "What's the rush?  We've missed the beginning of the school year 
already, another day won't hurt."
   "So *you* say!  Now, get going, Zeph!"
   "FINE, *Commander,*" he said jokingly.  "Geez, Keth, lighten up."
   Grey eyes glared.  "Go, go, go!"
   "I'm going!"  Zephyr scurried into the building.

   "Ganbatte ne," Molly said, as November dropped her off at school.
   "Arigato, imouto!  I'm sure Moto Azabu's a fine school."
   "You're gonna be late," Molly warned.
   "Shoot! Ja!"
   "Ja!"

   A tall, red-haired woman strolled into the school, black carrying 
case in hand.

   Somehow, they all registered on *exactly* the same day, at 
*exactly* the same time.  Destiny smiled at the first four and 
frowned at the last.

   Darien glanced at his watch.  

   At the moment, Professor Etude was staring at his five new 
students, feeling a migraine coming on.  
   The four men and the woman stared at one another from around the 
five seats positioned around the waiting room.  The men looked with 
interest at everyone and the woman with haughty distaste.  The Four 
instantly felt a strange pull coupled with a strong revulsion to the 
woman with them.  She, on the other hand, with her heightened senses, 
*knew* what she felt for the four men.  Knowing what she did, she 
formulated a plan . . .
   "Follow me," the professor said wearily.

   They paraded into the auditorium where the professor held his 
classes and he proceeded to introduce them to the current students.
   Darien couldn't keep himself from gawking.  
   " . . . Knight Kenneth, from Scotland-" the professor was saying.
   "Before that, Japan, sensei," a tall man with silvery-white hair 
and piercing grey eyes, interrupted.
   The professor nodded.  "Light November . . ."
   Several students snickered at the name and Nev glared at them all, 
causing them to shrink back into their seats.
   "Raven Jed from . . .  Where was that again?"
   The young man with his bright blue eyes and striking golden-blonde 
hair stepped forward and said in flawless Japanese, "I was born in 
Japan but I've lived all over: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, 
England, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, the 
Philippines, China, Guatemala, Mexico, the USA, Scotland, England, 
Ireland, Chile, Kenya, Egypt, India, but most recently France."  He 
smiled cheerfully.
   "Good," the professor said, glad that he didn't have to recite the 
exhaustive list.
   "Wait, I forgot some!" he said in distress.
   "That's ALL RIGHT, the professor said.
   "Well, if you say so . . ."  Jed shrugged.
   "Mist Zephyr . . ."
   Zephyr, the shortest of the men present, but no less handsome with 
his green eyes and tawny blonde hair sketched a quick bow and flashed 
a smile.
   "And Rill-san," the Professor concluded, having forgotten her last 
name.  The *extremely* tall woman stepped forward.  She was taller 
than the professor and all of the men and it didn't help that she 
wore high heels.  She also wore a VERY revealing outfit and the only 
way anyone with any sense could describe her as was tall, deadly, and 
dangerously attractive.
   Rill and Darien's eyes met across the room and instantly, there 
was a flash of recognition between them, slightly more than on a 
subconscious level.  A flurry of images and feelings assailed Darien, 
too fast for him to comprehend them all.  They came, one after 
another, like images on a projector moving at a thousand times normal 
speed.  Then, they stopped and he was left with a feeling of cold 
dread and an unsubstantiated dislike for the woman who stared at him
with her cold brown eyes, her lips curved in a smirk.  (He also felt
like he had lived through that Rei scene in Evangelion, but that was
beside the point.)
    Darien wondered uneasily.
   Professor Etude told the students to seat themselves and they did 
so, the four men in the back and Rill down the row from Darien.  The 
professor studied his notes for a moment, then said,  "We will be 
starting a new unit today.  Your grade will consist of a project, 
done in pairs."  He began assigning students to one another.  The new 
students were paired with one another.  November and Zephyr, Kenneth 
and Jed, until only Rill was left.
   Etude's voice cut across the room.  "Darien . . . you'll work with 
Rill-san."
   The other males in the class shared one thought,   
All except four, that is.
   Darien nearly came out of his seat, catching himself against the 
chair in front of him in time.  "NANI?!"
   The Professor's eyes met his calmly.  His voice was mild.  "Do you 
object to that, Mamo-san?"
   Darien glanced over at Rill who was frowning, and the male half of 
the class who were also frowning and gulped.  "No, sensei."  He sat 
down hard.
   Jed's eyes narrowed as Rill smiled sweetly at Darien.  
   Kenneth grimaced.  
   November sighed.  
   Zephyr frowned.  

   "Alan, where is your sister?!  I've been trying to contact your 
parents for DAYS!!!" Haruna-sensei asked irritably.
   Ailan gulped.  "Ann's really sick . . . she won't be in for a 
while.  We were out of town . . . she's in the hospital."
   "Gomen," Haruna said apologetically.  "How might I speak with your 
parents?"
   "You can't . . . they're with Ann in . . . England."
   "England?!"
   "We were visiting friends for the weekend."
   "All right then, Alan.  When they return, tell them that I must 
speak with them.  The amount of school that you and your sister have 
missed . . ."  She made disapproving noises with her tongue and 
walked away.
   "Hey, Alan!" Serena said.  "I'm *so* sorry about Ann.  Is there 
anything I can do?"
   Ailan looked at her in amazement.  She really meant it.  Despite 
everything that Ann had done to her out of jealousy, she was willing 
to forgive and forget.  What an amazing girl.  He took a deep breath 
and handed Serena the bouquet of roses that he had brought.  "Go out 
with me, Serena," he asked.
   Amy, Lita, and Molly, slightly behind her in the hallway, gasped 
and covered their mouths with their hands.
   Serena gently pushed the flowers away.  "I don't think this is a 
good time, Alan.  Not while your sister's so sick and all."
   "Serena . . . I might have to stay in England for a long time 
before Ann recovers.  Please, won't you go out with me while we still 
have the chance?"  He wanted her.  He admitted that to himself.  He 
loved Ann, but he wanted Serena, wanted to know that someone loved 
him and would always be there for him . . . wouldn't die or disappear 
tomorrow.  He wanted another chance by himself, and he saw it with 
Serena.
   "Gomen, Alan.  I can't.  Not . . . not now."  She walked quickly 
away.
   "I knew it!" Molly crowed to Amy and Lita.  "She *does* like that 
Darien guy!"
   Ailan stared at the flowers, then turned abruptly and left, 
crushing them in his hand, the thorns stabbing through the flesh of 
his palm.  

   Ann coughed.   she thought, deliberately 
cutting off the end of his name.    She 
stood, bracing herself against the Tree and gathering her strength.
     Weakly, she flickered and vanished.
   Fiore sighed from his perch in the Tree, cradling the Flower close 
to him.  

   Lita and Serena walked home after school, passing the High School 
on the way.  Just as they passed the fenced off parking lot, Lita 
stopped short.
   "Kami-sama . . ." she breathed, staring at a red convertible 
parked near the school on the other side of the lot.
   "What?" Serena asked innocently, turning her gaze on the car.
   "It's . . . it's the same car."
   "The same car as what?" Serena demanded.
   "That ran down Io!"  She started to run towards it but stopped as 
she felt Serena's hand on her shoulder.
   "Lita," Serena began, her blue eyes concerned, "maybe it's just 
the same model?"
   "No!" Lita protested.  "I'd know that car anywhere.  "The right 
front mirror was slightly bent and there was a long scratch on the 
front bumper."
   "Lita!"
   "It's the same car!"
   The school bell rang and moments later, a woman with long red hair 
stepped out of the school and got into the car.  Lita's breath 
stopped.  "It's her."
   "What?"
   "It's her!  That's the woman, Serena!"
   "Are you sure?"
   "Of COURSE I'm sure!  I didn't forget her face.  I COULDN'T 
forget.  I've had NIGHTMARES about her and her car.  That's her."
   "Well, what should we do, call the police?" Serena panicked, 
excitedly.
   "No," Lita said determinedly.  Before Serena could say anything 
else, she had vaulted one-handed over the fence.  "I'm going after 
her!"
   "WHAT?!" Serena screamed.  "Lita, are you CRAZY?!"
   "I have to do this!  I owe Io this much!"
   The car zoomed off and Lita raced after it.
   "LITA!!!!" Serena yelled, staring.    
Just then, her communicator beeped.  "Hey, you're not going to 
believe what just happened.  Lita ran after this car and-"
   "Serena, no time!" Raye's panicky voice came over the line.  "Amy 
and I are under attack at the park!  That alien girl came and drained 
the energy from a lot of people walking home . . . Molly and Melvin 
too!  Amy and I transformed and Mercury's trying to hold her off, but 
it's not working!  I've gotta go help her!"
   "I'll be right there!"
   "Where's Lita?  Isn't she with you?!"
   "Long story . . . no time.  Try and contact her!  Serena out."
   Serena closed the communicator and dodged into the high school, 
running to the nearest empty girl's bathroom and transforming.  That 
accomplished, she climbed out the window and leapt from roof-top to 
roof-top in the direction of the park.

   Lita collapsed after following Rill's car for thirty miles and 
losing her in traffic.  Somehow, she managed to drag herself to a 
deserted bit of sidewalk and sitting there, she cried.
   That was how November found her as he cruised by in his car.  He 
stopped the car, jumped out, and seeing that it was Lita, he crouched 
down next to her.
   "Are you all right?" he asked, holding the weeping girl.
   "It was her!" Lita sobbed, desperately trying to get her meaning 
across.  "It was her . . ."
   "Her who?" November looked worriedly at the girl who was trembling 
in his arms, tears dripping down her face.  Her face was a mask of 
anger and pain . . . and a strange grief-stricken beauty.
   "She killed Io!  She killed her!  She killed my best friend . . ."  
Lita clung on tighter to him, not releasing what she did or who she 
was holding.  All she could see was Io's fallen body and the
malicious face of the woman who had killed her.  Her body shook with
fear and hate . . .  She couldn't stop crying.  Her body was
unresponsive, her mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions.
   Gradually, she became aware that someone was stroking her hair 
gently, and as she looked up two worried brown eyes met her own.  "Y-
You . . ."  It was November, Molly's Onii-chan.  He was looking at 
her so kindly, as though he understood her completely.  She didn't 
know whether to thank him or break into more sobs.
   "Lita, right?" he asked, his eyes focused on her tear-streaked 
face.  She nodded slowly and he continued on.  "Why don't you start 
from the beginning and tell me what's wrong?"
     Abruptly, she pushed him away and got 
to her feet, her eyes beginning to well up with tears again.  "G-
Gomen . . . I can't."
   He looked hurt but hid the expression well.  She could only see 
the pain in his eyes . . . the rich dark eyes that at any other time 
she could have melted into and allowed to fathom out all of her 
innermost secrets.  But not this one.  Not this one.
   He took her hand a little awkwardly.  "All right, then."
   Lita gulped as she felt his warm hand on hers.  "Gomen again, but 
. . . it's not something that I can talk about.  It hurts . . . too 
much."
   He ran his thumb over her hand, his expression compassionate.  
"Not something that you'd tell to a complete stranger, eh?  Well, 
that's all right.  Maybe . . . some other time.  When we know each 
other better . . . when you're up to talking."
   "Some other time," she echoed.
   "You're . . . sure you're all right?" he asked.
   "I'm okay.  Arigato."  She looked back at him apologetically.  It 
was then that her communicator beeped.  She jumped and looked down at 
the device.    "I'm late," she said, immediately and turned 
to go.
   "Will I see you around then, sometime, Lita-san?" he asked with a 
half smile.
   She smiled back, a genuine smile as the thought lifted her 
spirits.  "Yeah . . . I guess you will.  Sayonara, November-san."
   He looked pained.  "Please . . . just Nev to my friends."
   "All right, Nev-san."  The communicator beeped again, more 
demandingly this time.  "Sayonara!"  She waved, then ran off.
   He looked after her, a strange feeling of familiarity filling him 
as he watched her.  "Sayonara . . ."
  <>  He cradled the name to him like an endearment, it 
felt so much better to use the "chan" than the "san."  

   Lita stopped, chilled, thinking that someone had called her name.  
Only . . . she had distinctly heard "Lita-chan" in Nev's voice in her 
head.  She smiled a little to herself.    She glanced down at the still-beeping communicator around her 
wrist and flipped the top open.  "Yeah, Lita here.  What's up, guys?"
   Raye's face appeared on the screen.  "Lita, where have you 
*BEEN*?!"
   "Well, I'm here now!" she snapped back in irritation.  "If you 
*must* know, I was talking to someone.  I couldn't just run off like 
Clark Kent without an explanation, now could I?!"
   "Gomen," Raye said back, keeping her temper in check.   "It's just 
. . . that freaky alien woman is attacking again in the park and we 
need a little *help* here . . ."
   "I'm on my way!" Lita said immediately, breaking into long fast 
strides.  She snapped the communicator closed and waved her wand as 
she ran through the deserted streets.  "Jupiter POWER, MAKE-UP!"

   Mars and Mercury were fending off the quickly fading Ann, who, 
despite her numerous energy drains, was unable to keep her strength 
up.  With the arrival of Moon and Jupiter, the battle was no contest 
and it was no surprise that Ailan showed up and vanished with the 
violently sobbing Ann.
   Exhausted, the Senshi phoned for emergency medics for the energy-
drained victims and called it a day.

Later that day . . .

   Darien and Rill were at the far side of the park from the attack, 
working on their project.  They had agreed to meet at five and had 
been working for an hour . . . at least on Darien's part . . . 
*trying* to work.  Rill was more interested in other things . . .
   Finally, frustrated, Darien stood and attempted to leave, but Rill 
stood with him and began fondling his hair absorbedly.  "Darien . . . 
I must say that you are *quiet* attractive."
   "Uh . . . er . . ."  He fidgeted uncomfortably.  
   Rill's sharp gaze met his and her lips moved in a dangerous little 
smile.  "I've wanted you since I first set eyes on you.  Do you want 
me too?"
   "Um . . . Rill-san . . .  This is . . . wrong."  Darien began 
panicking.  
   She brought her arm down in a sharp motion and her eyes seemed to 
bore into his as she said, suddenly angry, "Dammit, I'm *giving* 
myself to you!"
   "I know."  Darien pushed her away, suddenly firm.  "I don't like 
pushy women.  We wouldn't get along anyway."
   Her face twisted unpleasantly.  "You're refusing me?"
   "That's right."
   She pressed her body against him, her enraged face inches away 
from his own.  "I don't think so."
   It was then that Serena came around the corner headed home from 
the battle and saw them.  She took one look at the scene, dropped her 
bag, choked out, "So *this* is why you were too busy!  Darien . . . 
you jerk!" and ran off, crying.
    Darien wondered, pain stabbing through him at the 
thought of hurting her, his thoughts hopelessly muddled, before 
pushing Rill aside, grabbing her bag, and running after her.  "Serena 
. . . matte!"

   Rill stared after the two running figures, her eyes full of bitter 
hatred.  She twisted her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down 
*hard*, until she tasted blood.  Licking her lips, she took a step 
forward, her hand raised, a henshin wand flashing into it as though
by magic.  Her menacing whisper filled the air.
   "He refused me.  *NO* one refuses me.  Especially not for such a 
little twerp of a girl."  She gripped the pen tighter.  "Both of them 
. . . will answer for their crimes."
   She raised the black wand high over her head, and hissed, "Earth . 
. . *Power*, Make-Up!"  There was an explosion of darkness, shadows 
flapping and lost souls wailing into eternal night . . . the green 
symbol of Earth glowed faintly, darkly, on her forehead, before 
turning black and being replaced by a tiara with a *very* special 
stone in the center . . .  Her fuku appeared around her, dark black-
green and black . . . a black choker wrapped about her neck . . . 
black gloves stretching up the length of her arms to her elbows . . . 
and a pair of black boots with *sharp* heels appeared on her feet.
   She smiled and a trickle of blood ran down her lip.  "Now then, 
the two of you will *suffer* most severely for crossing me . . ."

   Serena ran, managing to outdistance Darien, leaving him blocks 
behind.  She ran through the warehouse district of Tokyo.    Her mind switched back to the original 
topic.    
She stopped as that thought hit her with all of the force of an 
express train.  Slowly, she repeated the words to herself.  "Don't I 
mean anything to you?"
   She took a step forward, suddenly cold.  "*Do* I mean anything to 
you?  Do you mean . . . anything to me?"
   She tried to imagine a world without Darien . . . tried and 
failed.  She couldn't comprehend what her life would be like without 
his gentle jests . . . the look she sometimes saw in his eyes when he 
looked at her . . . the way he'd take her to get ice-cream if she did 
well on a test . . . how he had NEVER told her that she was stupid . 
. . the sound of her name coming from his lips . . .  the way he 
smiled when he was happy or satisfied . . . the hint of pain that 
never left his midnight blue eyes . . .
   Andrew's words, "He's an orphan," ran through her mind.  She felt 
. . . *tried* to feel how he must have felt . . . young and alone and 
scared, without anyone in the world to rely on.  She couldn't 
comprehend life without her friends, her family, without . . . him.  
Right now . . . she could almost grasp the feeling.  No Darien?  No 
life . . .
   She staggered with the feeling that ran through her . . . an empty 
void yawning open, pain coursing through her body worse than any 
attack by any enemy, these self-inflicted wounds . . . these fears . 
. . these feelings . . .  "I couldn't . . . I couldn't . . ." she 
choked out, the words catching her throat, tears falling from her 
troubled, unseeing eyes.  "I couldn't . . . go on without him."
   Memories overwhelmed her as sank to her knees . . .  Darien, that 
time the cardian had attacked . . . unconscious . . . so vulnerable 
to the world . . . Darien, tugging her to her feet . . . Darien, 
calling her Odango . . . Darien, holding her in his arms . . .  She 
remembered that the most.  The warm feeling of contentment, 
fulfillment, completion, in his arms.
   "When?" she wondered.  When had she started to feel this way?  
This was more than a simple crush . . .  This might even be lo-
   "So, this is where you are.  I've been looking all over for you," 
a loud, dissatisfied female voice drawled.  "I'm *so* glad that I 
found you.  I *do* HATE being disappointed."
   Serena looked up, her startled eyes meeting the hard red-brown 
ones of . . . another Senshi.  A Senshi that she recognized.  "You . 
. ."
   "Me," the woman replied, jumping down from a rooftop.  She stood 
before Serena, glaring.  Then, with a swiftness to dazzle the human 
eye, her arm shot forward to grab Serena about the neck.  But . . . 
Serena was quicker.
    she thought, dodging.  Bits and pieces of her 
dream came back to her.    She grabbed 
her wand and calculated.  
   "Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!"

   Darien crumpled over on the deserted sidewalk.    
The transformation flickered on and off as he struggled a few more 
feet forward before completely collapsing.
   Tuxedo Kamen arose from his limp form.  "Gomen, Darien.  You're 
not yet strong enough to save her . . . not by yourself . . . not 
alone.  Only by accepting me will you be *that* strong.  Only by 
accepting your past and yourself.  Only by making the decision that 
will change the course of your life . . . which one will you love?  
The girl or the princess?  It can only be . . . one."
   Unconscious, Darien groaned, his features contorting.
   "Already, the battle rages within you.  You have no knowledge of 
the existence of one, and yet . . . you still fight yourself.  Stop 
fighting!  Accept the inevitable.  Accept who . . . and what . . . 
you are."
   "NO," Darien moaned.
   Tuxedo Kamen frowned.  "You are not yet reliable enough to protect 
my love.  I must go . . . to save her.  Farewell for now, Mamo 
Darien, Prince of Earth."

   "Why are you fighting me?  You're a Sailor Senshi!" Sailor Moon 
yelled.
   Sailor Earth frowned.  "I'm well aware of that.  And you . . . are 
an impostor!  Prepare to die, little girl.  You shouldn't play at 
being a soldier."  Sailor Earth raised her right arm, her eyes locked 
on Sailor Moon's.  "Earth . . ."  A pulsing black light formed around 
her arm.
   Sailor Moon took a step back, her eyes wide.
   "Metallic . . ."  The light started to solidify, crackling and 
sending out fantastic waves of heat.
   
   "SPEAR . . ."  The dark mass formed into a huge stone spear that 
hovered over Earth's hand.
   Sailor Moon took a step back, her hand on her tiara.  "Moon . . ."
   "STRIKE!!!!!"  The spear hurtled forward towards the frightened 
Senshi.
   "Tiara-"  The tiara was poised to throw . . .
   "SHATTER!!!!!" Earth screamed, her eyes burning bright red.
   The spear split into huge sharp rock shards that blurred as they 
redoubled their speed and sped towards Sailor Moon.  She let out a 
scream, knowing that she would never be able to launch her attack or 
move out of the way in time.  Just before they could impale her, a 
black clad figure swept her up in his arms, his motions a blur, and 
the rock shards hit the ground with frightening force, splitting it 
asunder and exploding in a shower of stone particles.
   Sailor Moon was protected from the blast by the black cape 
shielding her and the strong arms holding her.  She opened her eyes 
slowly . . . unbelieving that she had escaped certain death and her 
eyes seized on her rescuer.  "T-Tuxedo Kamen?  H-How . . . ?"
   "Surely, Sailor Moon, you would not expect me to leave your life 
in peril.  When you are in danger, I am summoned to your aid."
   "B-By whom?"
   "By you, bishoujo senshi," he murmured, tracing her jawline with a 
light, gloved finger.
   "You've got to stop doing that," she said back in a dreamy voice, 
her eyes far away and lost in his.
   "Doing what?" he asked, placing the finger to her lips.
   "That . . ."  Her eyes were shining softly.
   "Why?  If you like, I shall stop . . . but I am afraid that it 
will be very, very hard indeed.  Your beauty draws me to you.  I am 
afraid that I shall never be able to stop lo-"
   "Now, isn't *THIS* sweet?!" Sailor Earth demanded to know.
   "YOU . . ." Sailor Moon hissed, scrambling to her feet.
   "ME."  She smirked.  "We're getting rather redundant, aren't we, 
little girl?"  Her eyes took in the scene.  "Or maybe not.  Looks 
like SOMEBODY'S two-timing somebody else, eh, Sailor Moon?"
   She stumbled back a little.    Out loud she shouted, "I am not!"
   "Young girls should not be so faithless to their lovers," Earth 
intoned dangerously.
   "WHAT lover?!" Moon cried.
   Earth hesitated an instant.  "You . . . and he are not . . . ?"
   "NO!"
   "I naturally assumed . . .  Oh well, I shall simply revise then.  
Young girls should not be so faithless to their would-be lovers!  
Better?"
   Moon's eyes burned with anger as she got to her feet, Tuxedo Kamen 
rising with her.  "Stop stealing my type of lines!  I'm the one who 
gives those kinds of speeches!"
   "But you shouldn't.  You should be a good little girl and play 
dress-up and not soldier.  Oh, what a pretty little princess you'd 
make.  So innocent and SICKENING!  Now, princess, DIE!" Earth 
screamed, readying her attack once more.
   It was then that Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Luna (who had finally 
managed to get to the park through traffic) appeared on the scene.
   Jupiter took on look at Earth and loosed an ear-shattering scream.  
"DAMN YOU . . . BITCH!!!!"
   Earth frowned.  "And who might you be?  More little girl soldiers?  
Or more pitiful princesses playing at games?"
   "Oh, I'm a soldier all right," Jupiter growled.  "It was you . . . 
*YOU* KILLED IO!!!"
    Luna's mind screamed.
   "Io?"  Earth seemed to mull the name over, then her eyes cleared.  
"Was that your little cat?  I remember you now . . .  I wasn't after 
the cat, though the world *IS* better without the furball, I was 
after YOU . . ."
   "Me?" Jupiter's voice was tiny.
   "Of course.  I sensed your power and it left me with no recourse 
but to kill you."
   "WHY?!"
   "Because I can't let you . . . any of you . . . stand in my way.  
So . . . prepare to die."  Earth laughed darkly, throwing her head 
back as she raised her arms and gathered a HUGE ball of black 
lightning between them.
   Mars's supernatural danger sense flared up.  
   Mercury simply stared calmly at the scene and began running as 
fast as she possibly could, carrying the protesting Luna with her.
   Moon was not stupid.  She merely lacked motivation most of the 
time.  This time, she had *plenty* of motivation to get as far away 
as possible.
   "Run, dammit!" Mars yelled to Jupiter as she and Moon raced from 
the scene.  Mercury was already at the nearest building, an abandoned 
warehouse, flinging the door open for them.
   Jupiter took one last look at the sneering face of the Senshi 
behind them, the dark mass of energy gathering in her hands to be 
unleashed upon them all, and she ran.  Fast.  
   The dark energy raced along behind them.

   The four Senshi and the cat made it into the warehouse just in 
time, slamming the door shut behind them.  They thought that they 
were safe . . . until the dark energy slammed into the door and the 
wood buckled and exploded in a shower of splinters.  The doors *did* 
manage to block most of the dark energy and the Senshi escaped mostly 
unscathed.  Luna, however, was knocked unconscious.

   "Serena . . ." Darien moaned, fighting to come back to 
consciousness.  His eyes snapped open with urgency and he pushed 
himself up with his arms.  Grabbing her bag, he got to his feet and 
began to run . . . to where he knew she would be.

   Tuxedo Kamen, who had mysteriously appeared inside of the 
warehouse beside Sailor Moon, now began to vanish into thin air as 
Sailor Moon looked on.  "Tuxedo Kamen!  NO!  Come back!"
   "I shall see you again," his disembodied voice whispered gently in 
the air.
   "Tuxedo Kamen . . ." Serena cried.   her heart 
spoke, without knowing why.

   Sailor Earth strode through the blasted open doorway.  "Hello, 
little dress-up princesses.  Ready to meet your destinies?  I hope 
you haven't left any loose ends . . ."
   Jupiter snarled.  "We can take you, anytime!"
   "Can you?" Earth sneered.  She raised her arms and again the dark 
energy began forming.
   "Uh . . . Jupiter, perhaps it was not wise to provoke her," 
Mercury began.
   "Run!" Mars snapped.
   Moon whipped her head to look at Mars.  "*I'm* the leader!"
   "So what do we do, *leader*?"
   "Uh . . . RUN!"
   "We can't," Mercury pointed out.  "We're boxed in on all sides."
   Fear rushed through the Senshi.  No way out . . .
   Luna woke up, glanced over at Earth with widening eyes, and wished 
that she had stayed unconscious.
   The energy kept building and Earth was ready to strike . . .

   Four roses flew through the air and embedded themselves in the 
ground between the Senshi and Sailor Earth.  One white, one blue, one 
dark pink, and one a soft yellow.  Petals swirled around.
   Sailor Earth staggered on her feet and fell down to one knee, the 
dark energy fading away.
   Everyone looked up to see four shadowy shapes outlined against the 
window.
   "Who are you?" Sailor Moon asked confusedly.
   One of them paused to consider for an instant.  "You may call us, 
the Guardians."
   "Like the cat?" she asked, pointing at Luna who hung her head in 
despair.
   The man who had spoken smiled wryly, "Sort of.  Anyway, we're here 
to help."
   "At least *someone* is!" Sailor Mars shouted.  "Uh, excuse me if 
I'm being rude, but Sailor Earth has recovered now!"
   Sailor Moon turned to look, her eyes getting big as she giggled 
nervously.  "Ooops."
   Mars smacked herself in the head.  "Why me?" she moaned.
   Moon ignored her.  "Time for teamwork, everyone!"
   "RIGHT!" the other three Senshi shouted back.
   "MOON-"
   "FIRE-"
   "SHABON-"
   "SUPREME-"
   "-TIARA ACTION!"
   "-SOUL!"
   "-SPRAY!"
   "-THUNDER!"
   The combined attacks raced out at Sailor Earth who lifted her arm 
again and screamed, "EARTH METALLIC SPEAR STRIKE!"
   The spear raced forward, colliding with the tiara and exploding 
with a burst of power.  The Senshi shielded their eyes from the light 
and tried to shield themselves from the spear fragments that 
shattered against them.
   Luckily, the four Guardians had appeared in front of them and had 
taken the full brunt of the attack.  The attacks barely affected them 
at all as they were all dressed in four suits of shining golden
armor.  (Endymion style.)
   Power flared around them and headed towards Earth, who, despite 
*seeming* invincible, was depleting her power in a hurry.  The 
combined power of the four roses had effectively counteracted her own
power, themselves, being of Earth.  She knew that she would be no
match for the combined strength of the Guardians, inexperienced as
they were.  It was time to go, so she backed up, leapt up onto the
roof and bounded away with a promise.  "I *will* return for you . . . 
all of you!  This I swear . . .  You *shall* die!  But I have a 
*special* punishment designed for Sailor Moon . . ."  Her laughter 
echoed back and the Senshi shut their eyes against the thought.  When 
they opened them . . . the Guardians were gone.

   Jed stared at his companions as the transformations wore off and 
they returned to their normal clothes and appearances.  He held his 
head in his hands, feeling the headache that was the after-effect of 
the change.  "Who the hell *are* we?!" he asked.
   The others, perfect strangers to him (or so he thought, it was 
hard to see by the light of the street lamps), just stared at him 
blankly and he sighed.  It had been a *loooong* night and it looked 
like it was going to be an even *loooooonger* day.

   The Bishoujo Senshi detransformed wearily, exhausted.  Two fights 
in one day . . . and a new enemy as well.  And perhaps some new 
allies . . . or was it simply just another enemy ploy?

   As Serena walked home alone, the others opting to go out for ice-
cream, while Serena wasn't up to it ("She *must* be sick!"-Raye)  
("Quiet!"-Serena), she couldn't help wondering about all of the new 
developments.  About Darien.  Looking up, she almost wasn't surprised 
that he was standing right in front of her, holding her schoolbag out 
to her.  She took it with a tired smile.
   "Gomen, Darien.  I guess it's none of my business if you want to 
date some girl.  You must care about her a lot."  
   "I . . . I don't care about her, I . . ."   The 
words hung on his lips, lingering in the air.  But . . . he couldn't 
say them.  Not now.  He was not yet willing to give up his heart, his 
mind, and his soul to her.  He had lived in fear for so long that he
had forgotten what it was like to love, to truly love, and hope . . .
and dream.  Somehow, she had given that back to him.  But . . . he
was not ready.  No girl had ever had a hold over him, been able to 
control him, to direct him to her will.  No girl had ever held that 
special place in his heart which he had shown no one, vulnerable to 
rejection and attack as he was.  Darien was a loner, and his true 
self was afraid of discovery, afraid of getting close to others, for 
fear that they would die and leave him alone . . . again.  And so, he 
was still not ready to take the final step of utter faith and trust 
in another.  Even with Serena.  Especially with Serena.  She did not 
love him . . . she had said that herself.
   He banished the notion.  He and Serena?  It was an improbability, 
an impossibility.  "I don't like her at all," he finished lamely.
   She looked up at him, a small smile on her face.  "Really?"
   At that moment, Darien wished more than anything in the world that 
he had said, 'I love you.'  To see her smile, her face lighting up 
with that glow of joy, the adoration in her eyes . . . he wanted that 
so badly that it hurt.  But it was not to be.  She did not love him.  
She never would.
   "Really," he answered, struggling to paste a smile on his face.
   "Good," she muttered, beaming.
   "What?" he asked.
   "N-Nothing!" she said immediately, but the smile lingered.
   Darien looked at her.  "Now, why do you look like the cat that 
swallowed the canary?"
   "I do NOT!"
   "Yes, you do, Odango Atama."
   "Quit calling me that!"
   He smirked and she ground her teeth together in anger.  Stomping 
over to him, she yelled, "Darien, you are the lowest-" Then she 
grabbed his hands in hers and the world seemed to stop turning and 
speed up even faster at the same instant.
   An electric shock ran through them both and she stared at their 
hands as though enthralled.  When she looked up, she was trembling 
and her eyes were quivering.  "Why do you do this to me?" she 
whispered, her voice soft and low.
   "Do what?" he asked reaching out to touch her face, that beautiful 
delicate face that he realized was frightened.  "What are you afraid 
of?"
   Serena struggled with her words, looking away from him.  "Nothing.  
Everything.  You.  Me."
   He tilted her face up to him, the wide blue eyes filling his 
vision.  "There's nothing to fear.  I'll keep you safe, Serena."
   "And what are you afraid of?" she asked, her breath coming in 
little gasps as her heart thudded painfully, once, twice, against her 
rib cage.
   Looking at her, the innocent beauty, the wide-eyed expression, he 
couldn't think of anything to say but the truth, and somehow, he knew 
that all his doubts of before had been for naught.  If he could not 
trust Serena . . . then he could trust no one.  "Of being alone," he 
responded softly.
   She looked at his sad expression, the pain making his beautiful 
eyes dark and shadowed, and she gently pressed his hand in hers.  Her 
voice was earnest, quiet, as she spoke.  "You don't have to be afraid 
of being alone, Darien.  You're not alone.  I'm here . . . with you."
   "Arigato, Serena," he said.
   "I'll always be here for you," she whispered.  "Always."
   "Will you?" he asked, his eyes intent on her.  "Arigato again."
   "You're . . . really not such a bad guy."
   On an impulse she got up on tiptoes, letting go of his hand.  Her 
lips brushed his cheek with a feathery kiss as though they were the 
wings of a fairy.  Darien couldn't help but recoil, shocked.  

   She blushed, staring at him, blue eyes into endless blue . . . 
eternity joined to eternity . . . and ran away.  Darien stared after 
her, stunned, his hand to his cheek.    A moment 
later the revelation dawned on him in actuality.  

   Serena ran.  Each step pounded on the pavement like the pounding 
of her own heart.  She wrapped her arms around herself to stop the 
shaking of her body.  Thoughts ran through her head, a river of 
baseless wondering.  

To be continued . . .

*Gasp*  Serena seems to be *REALLY* upset.  After all, this is
*DARIEN* we're talking about here . . .  How much worse can it get?  
^_-  *Smile*  Did you like this part?  If you did, drop me a line.  
I'll appreciate it!

Things get even MORE interesting and even weirder in the *next* 
episode, which isn't due out until . . . June.  Don't hit me!!!  What 
do you expect?!  Finals are upcoming and my teachers are piling 
outcomes and projects on my head like there's no tomorrow . . . and 
there isn't!!!

I promise lots and lots of action, lots and lots of romance, and lots 
and lots of new plot developments in the next episode.  Oh, and the 
Aliens finally return to the plot!  (You were waiting for that, 
weren't you?  Admit it.  Rill will be back later . . .  And if you 
don't know who she is, then you've not been paying attention.  *Hint*  
She's NOT a new character . . .)  ^_-

Usa Serena/Tsukino Usagi
Mamo Darien/Chiba Mamoru
Anderson-Mizuno Amy/Mizuno Ami
Hino Raye/Hino Rei
Kino Lita/Kino Makoto
Mist Zephyr/Zoisite
Raven Jed/Jadeite
Light November/Nephrite
Knight Kenneth/Kunzite
Luna/Luna
A(i)lan Galaxy/Ail Ginga
Ann Galaxy/Ann Ginga
Fiore Et/Fiore
Doom Tree/Makujii
Rill/*Guess*
'Elios/Elios
Sailor Pluto/Sailor Pluto
Motto Andrew/Furuhata Motoki
Baker Molly/Osaka Naru
Minnow Melvin/Umino Gurio
Haruna Patricia/Sakuda Haruna
Casssidy Mika/Shiratori Mika
Professor Etude (Etude-sensei)/ORIGINAL CHARACTER
Io/ORIGINAL CHARACTER

Arigato=Thank you
Bishoujo=Pretty
Fuku=Uniform
Ganbatte ne=Good luck
Gomen=I'm sorry
Gomen nasai=I'm really sorry
Hana=Flower
Henshin=Transformation
Imouto-Little sister
Ja!=Bye!
Kami=God (Shinto religion)
Konnichi wa=Good afternoon
Matte!=Wait!
Nani?=What?
Odango Atama=Dumpling head
Odango=Dumpling
Oniichan=Big brother
Sayonara=Good-bye
Sempai=Upperclassman (Lita's schoolmate/boyfriend in this case.)
Sensei=Teacher
Senshi=Soldier(s)
Shabon=Bubbles

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/palace/3649/fanfics